What Dreams Might Come
by Heiwako
Summary: A sort of AU (that could be easily inserted into canon) as a story gift for Fluttermoth who demanded some Lydia/Hecate loving.


It was another beautiful day in Sovngarde, but then again it was always beautiful there. Lydia had thankfully never seen a gloomy day since she had arrived in Nordic heaven, but there had been those who had been around during the War of the Worldeater, when Alduin had devoured souls of heroes. Those old souls would whisper about how the afterlife was covered with a thick, mind-numbing fog that had obscured everything while the dragon god stalked heroes like prey.

At least until Diana Dragonborn had come and defeated him with the help of Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, Hakon One-Eye, and Felldir the Old.

The Last Dragonborn was also a hot topic of debate amongst the Nordic heroes. There were some who thought she was interesting despite her allegiance to the Dark Brotherhood or maybe because of it. Others thought her funny from her antics as the court jester of Sovngarde, a punishment imposed by Tsun for her arrogance in rejecting Sovngarde's gracious invitation to stay in heaven instead of the Void.

Unfortunately, this also made Lydia a topic of gossip. None had forgotten that she had been the Dragonborn's housecarl in life or that she had also been Diana's archnemesis for years. Most importantly, they all wondered, why had Lydia helped Diana-or rather Hecate as she went by now-escape from Sovngarde's justice.

A few had asked her about it, bluntly direct of course as all true Nords would, and her answer had always simply been, "She was outnumbered. It was the right thing to do."

None could argue with the first point. It wasn't honorable to fight an opponent two to one as Ulfric and Gormlaith had done with Hecate while Hakon and Felldir took on Cicero. But at the same time, few could agree with the second point.

Hecate had been the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. She might have been a hero at one point, but she had spent most of her long life as a classical villain. She had had killed people for Sithis. One-on-one combat might be more honorable, but that was for honorable opponents, not for assassins.

Ironically, or maybe appropriately, the only person who seemed to truly understand Lydia's motivation was Ulfric Stormcloak. Despite fighting against him, he never once asked her why she had picked up her blade in Hecate's defense. Maybe that was why he was her only friend-not that Lydia had ever been good at making any.

"Your mind isn't on the hunt today," Ulfric said, pulling Lydia out of her thoughts. He laughed at her sheepish expression.

"Not that it really matters," Lydia sniffed. "The game practically lies down and dies for you."

As a heavenly afterlife, Sovngarde provided its citizens with whatever they wanted. Most of these fulfillments were little more than illusions. After all, only Nordic heroes could come here or those found worthy enough to join them. This meant many loved ones' souls couldn't come, but it didn't mean they couldn't be remembered.

"I was more in a mood for a walk today," Ulfric said with a shrug. "Would you rather we hunted something more difficult, Stormblade?"

"I think I'd rather be alone," Lydia said bluntly, knowing Ulfric wouldn't be offended.

"As you will," Ulfric smirked. He turned to leave, shifting to a much more youthful appearance, clearly going to spend time in the memories of his Ellie. "You know where to find me."

Lydia snorted as a now teenaged Ulfric ran off. She appreciated his ability to respect her need for solitude, but she had to admit that part of her was still jealous of his memories of the one woman he had ever loved. Although they had shared a bed and had a son together, Lydia had never been more than a useful tool for his war.

Lydia found a slow flowing river with a blooming willow tree to sit under. She tucked her feet under herself as she leaned back against the trunk.

It was a beautiful day. It was a perfect day. The sun was hot without being sweltering. The breeze was light and refreshing. The shade was soothing. The river burbled gently. So why was Lydia so unhappy?

Why did she keep thinking about Hecate?

The Nord sighed as she admitted to herself that she had been thinking about her old thane a lot since the Imperial had arrived in Sovngarde. Lydia had done her best to avoid the woman. It was like picking at an old wound-painful with the chance of further harm.

Of course, it had been impossible to avoid all of the gossip the Imperial generated. The fact she wasn't a Nord had sent many of the heroes chattering, but her tendency to throw tantrums or perform other childish acts of defiance was even more fun to whisper about.

Lydia would grind her teeth and close her eyes as people talked about Hecate. She would get a headache-well, what passed for one in the afterlife-at the mention of the petite woman, but she couldn't really ask the others to stop talking about her. Because that would involve trying to explain how it made Lydia's chest hurt thinking about her.

Her feelings were always so conflicted. How was it so possible to hate someone so much and love them at the same time?

"Hey."

The word was softly spoken, but it still startled Lydia. She jerked upright, and if she had been alive, her heart would have been pounding in her throat. She blinked slowly, rubbing at her eyes, not believing what she saw.

Diana was sitting next to her wearing her blue dress with her long black hair flowing loose down her shoulders. Her blue eyes were much bigger and more vulnerable than Lydia remembered. It was how Lydia always thought of the Imperial when she remembered her as her thane. Not the fancy dragonscale armor, not the dark assassin leather, not the foolish jester's motley. Just a simple blue dress that brought out the color of her eyes.

When Lydia looked down, she wasn't surprised to see that she was wearing the plain steel armor that she had worn when she had been sworn to Diana's service.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"You pulled me here," the Imperial answered matter-of-factly.

The Nord frowned. She definitely had not tried to summon a memory to dally with. Gods knew that she had gone through various phases trying to find closure regarding the Dragonborn. Screaming, Shouting, slapping, crying, and there had even been a violent period of stabbing. And then there had been even more shameful, self-indulgent scenarios. "What do you mean?"

"I was sleeping," Diana said wistfully, "but someone kept thinking about me. I couldn't sleep." She narrowed her eyes at the memory. "It felt like someone was constantly poking me with their thoughts. So I followed them here and found you."

"You're not even supposed to be here," Lydia hissed. She looked around, scared someone would notice them. "How did you even get back in?"

Diana laughed, throwing her head back as she slapped her leg. "I'm an assassin. It's my job to go where I'm not supposed to." She grinned as she looked at Lydia slyly. "Besides, I have an invite here. I don't think it was ever revoked."

"Tsun will have your hide," Lydia whispered as she looked around furtively. "He's still mad about your escape. He spent months stomping back and forth over the whale bone bridge cursing you and your ancestors."

"Feh," Diana snorted, "I don't care about dumb old Tsun. He's not the reason I'm here. You are." She tilted her head to watch Lydia. "Why are you thinking about me?"

"Me?" Lydia stammered. She turned her head away with a jerk. "How can you even ask me that? After all you did? You were a monster. You made me think my son was dead. You killed my jarl."

Diana chuckled softly as she gently touched Lydia's chin and pulled her to make her look at the smaller woman. "Don't lie, Lydia. Those are the same old arguments you always used to dodge my question before. The only difference is I know now that your thoughts are gentle pokes and not angry stabs." She smirked. "Besides, if you hated me, why would you have helped me go home?"

It was impossible to breathe. Diana was too close, her body pressing against Lydia's. It felt like she was looking into the Nord's soul, which wasn't too far from the literal truth given the circumstances. Lydia squirmed, suddenly too warm from Diana's touch.

"Tell me." The simple bossy demand was so stereotypical of her thane, it made Lydia laugh nervously. Diana only smiled broader. "I command it, my housecarl."

That cut the laughter off short as Lydia jerked away and looked down. "You wouldn't understand."

"I can't if you won't tell me."

"Why not me?" Lydia asked, the words slipping out. She burned with embarrassment from her admission. "Why did you share your bed with so many people and never me?" She paused, trying to not choke on the words. "Why did you leave me for him?" There was no need to specify whom. She finally turned to face her thane. "Why wasn't I good enough?"

"Oh, Lydia," Diana sighed. At least she didn't laugh, Lydia couldn't have stood that. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't my place as your housecarl," Lydia said defensively, "and even if I could have admitted it to myself afterwards it would have felt petty. Like the only reason I had done anything I had done was because I had felt slighted by you. Which wasn't the case, might I add!"

"I know." Diana was practically in Lydia's lap now. "I admit I never thought of you as more than my dearest friend. My sword and my shield to protect me as we traveled. But even if I had, I thought you didn't like me that way. I remember you telling me to not try to drag you into my 'perverted Imperial ways' when we first met."

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did."

"Well, maybe I did. I don't remember, but even if I did it was before we became friends." Lydia felt like an idiot right now.

"So, you want to make love to me?" Diana asked, blunt as ever.

"No! Yes. Maybe. I don't know," Lydia rambled. "I mean, I wouldn't want you to do anything you don't want to do. You know?"

"You just don't want to feel alone any more."

"Yeah." She sighed feeling a great burden lifted from her chest by finally confessing how she felt. Always being second best was bad, but being rejected was the absolute worst.

"I love you, Lydia." Diana's hands were traveling over Lydia's body now. The armor was gone, leaving only the simple cloth she wore underneath to prevent chaffing. "I told you that once when I was feeling my worst, and I meant it then." She was sitting so she was straddling Lydia's lap, making them face to face only inches apart. "Everything I did, I tried to do well by you. I'm sorry I screwed up so badly, but I never meant to hurt you."

"My thane," she started to whisper, but then Diana was kissing her cutting off any further conversation.

It was a chaste kiss at first. Firm, eager lips against each other. Then Lydia gasped for breath and Diana's tongue was in her mouth, tasting her, demanding more.

Lydia moaned, arching against the tree trunk as Diana pulled her shirt off. Warm lips encasing her throbbing nipples made Lydia cry out with just enough of the Voice slipping past her control to make the leaves in the tree shake off the branches and cover them below.

Diana stopped long enough to look up at the branches, a leaf comically sticking on her forehead. Lydia plucked it off before grabbing the hem of Diana's dress and hauling it up over her hips. She ran her fingers over the rim of the plain cotton panties, pleased at both how soft her thane felt and how wet Diana was when she touched her mound.

The Imperial pressed her mouth against Lydia's neck, moaning as she ground against Lydia's hand. "Don't stop there," she begged, her words muffled.

"I don't plan on it," Lydia promised. She rolled the two of them over so Diana was below her as she pulled the blue dress off and tossed it aside. Cupping her thane's breasts, she watched as the smaller woman writhed at her touch. The taut nipples felt good under her thumbs as she rubbed them in circles over the thin cloth of her breast band.

With practiced ease, she slipped it off so she could lick a pink nipple. Diana gave her own little cry of pleasure as she wrapped her fingers in Lydia's hair. "Lydia," she whispered, her voice full of need and low to keep her _thu'um _under control.

"Diana," she responded just as eagerly. They kissed again, slower this time as they tasted each other. Hands roamed over dark and pale skin, learning each others curves and sensitive spots. Legs rubbed together, creating wonderfully warm friction. "What do you want?"

"I want you to go down on me," she purred as she ran her fingers through Lydia's hair, almost petting her.

"As you wish, my thane," Lydia smirked. She kissed Diana on the lips one last time before her mouth traveled down her neck. She paused at the crook of her collarbone, giving it a wet kiss before continuing downward.

The harsh, heavy breathing encouraged her further as she paused to kiss her thane's mound. Lydia delicately ran her fingers over the wet folds before pressing her thumb against Diana's swollen, throbbing clit. The sharp intake of breath made her smile before she flicked her tongue against it.

At Diana's loud moan, Lydia settled between her legs, slipping a finger inside. She stroked with the same pace she licked the sensitive nub. She could feel Diana wrapping her legs tightly around her shoulders, pulling her closer. The Imperial thrashed under her, moaning with pleasure, punctuated with exclamations of peaked demands.

With her free hand, Lydia tried to pin Diana down by massaging her breast, but it did little good. Not that Lydia had ever managed to pin the Dragonborn down in life.

Finally, Diana Shouted her release, strong enough that it made the entire tree shake. She sagged bonelessly under Lydia. "Oh gods, that was amazing," she panted. "I thought you didn't like women."

"Aela might have taught me a thing or two," Lydia teased. She slid so she was holding Diana in her arms. "I'm sure she would be proud."

"No doubt." They kissed again, Lydia self-consciously aware that Diana was tasting her saltiness on her lips and seeming to enjoy it.

"Now your turn," the Dragonborn purred as she slipped her hand into Lydia's pants. She looked ridiculously sexy with her tousled hair and wearing nothing but her boots. "I want to watch you as I pleasure you."

Her talented fingers found their way to Lydia's entrance easily. Lydia bit her lip as Diana slipped inside of her, teasing her clit as she stroked hard against her. The Imperial straddled Lydia's leg as she shifted to be face level with her. "I love the faces you make when you're like this," she mused. "You look so defenseless and not like your normal self."

Lydia stifled a moan as Diana rubbed against her. They kissed again, this time with a bit more fervor and teeth than before. The Nord's mouth was wet when Diana pulled away.

"I love you," Diana whispered. "You were always there for me. You always watched my back and protected me. You put up with me when I was at my worst and helped me be my best. I hate that I hurt you so damn much, but know that I never stopped loving you and wanting you to be happy."

"My thane," Lydia moaned. It was hard to think while Diana was touching her like this. Why in the world did she decide to say all this right now when Lydia was her most brainless? Typical Diana.

She couldn't hold on much longer. Not with Diana watching her so intently with that intense eye contact. She hugged Diana to her, burying her face against Diana's neck. She cried out her release, shuddering against her.

"You cheated," Diana teased. She kissed Lydia's forehead. "I wanted to watch."

"Apologies," Lydia sighed. "I'll do better next time."

"You know this is a one time thing, right?" Diana said, almost regretfully. She curled up on her side, hugging the other woman. "We won't be able to do this again."

"Yeah," Lydia admitted. "Can't have all of Sovngarde chasing you down and locking you up again."

"Something like that," Diana laughed. "Although I doubt Cicero would leave me in there for too long." Lydia growled in disapproval. "I know you don't like him, but he's part of my life."

"More than me?"

"I love both of you," Diana insisted. "Just in different ways." She poked Lydia's nose. "Don't be jealous. It doesn't suit you." She winked while making a raspberry. "It's not like you wanted to be with me, you just needed to feel needed. And I did need you. I do need you. You're my dearest friend and I'll always be there for you when you need me. Okay?"

"If you're even real," Lydia said mournfully. She laid down and closed her eyes. She hated how she could feel hot tears building behind her eyes. "How do I know you're not just some projection of Sovngarde to make me feel better?"

"Believe in me," Diana whispered with one last kiss on Lydia's forehead. "That's all I ever wanted from you. To believe in me."

"I'll try," Lydia promised, yawning as she fell asleep. "That's all I can do."

"I know, sweetie."

When Lydia woke, she wondered if any of it had been real. She sighed, her chest hurting again. But as she got up to get dressed, she found a red rose waiting on top of her clothes. She smiled as she smelled it.

Maybe dreams sometimes come true after all.


End file.
